Stargazing and Decaf
by AkwardBabyGiraffe
Summary: Modern Coffee Shop AU where Finn and Rey work at Kanata Cafe and Poe is hired as their full time musician. Chaos ensues when Poe and Finn begin to fall for each other and figures from Finn's troubled past come back to haunt him. There will be fluff. There will be angst. And you can be damn sure there will be BB-8 as a corgi puppy! Rated T for some strong language.
1. Chapter 1

Finn was so late. Not just a little bit late, but a 'my alarm clock didn't go off, my cab got stuck in traffic so I had to walk, then some kid threw up on me so I had to go home and change' kind of late. He ran down the crowded sidewalk, muttering apologies as he push through people. He glanced down quickly at his watch and groaned. He was over an hour late. Maz was gonna kill him. Finn picked up the pace, his foot catching on a baby stroller that was passing by and tumbled into the poor soul that just happened to be in front of him. They both went down with a crash, Finn landing on the stranger's rather toned chest. "OOPH!"

"Oh my God, I am so sorry!" Finn apologized, trying to push himself off of the man. He only succeeded in digging his elbow further into his ribs, earning a grunt of pain. "Sorry! I'm just making this worse, aren't I?"

"No worries, buddy." the man chuckled kindheartedly. "Accidents happen, right?"

Finn couldn't help but laugh along as the two of them picked themselves back up. Finn winced when the man leaned over to picked up a guitar case, brushing off the dirt from the street. "I didn't break it did I?"

"Nah, that's whats the case is for." the man assured him, patting the brown case to prove his point. Finn let out a sigh of relief, allowing himself to get his first good look at the person he had just run into. His heart sped up as he realized, _oh shit he's hot._

The man before him looked like the human personification of the words _ruggedly handsome._ His dark hair was a beautiful mess of thick, luscious curls that Finn just wanted to tangle his fingers in. He was dressed in dark jeans, a tight-fitting, white t-shirt, and an old red and brown leather, pilot's jacket. With warm skin and bedroom eyes, Finn was nearly certain that he had just knocked over a Greek god in disguise. Said Greek god's smile wavered slightly as he asked, "You okay, buddy?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I-I'm good. You're good. God, you are really good." the young man's babbling caused his face to heat of with embarrassment while other man just grinned in amusement. "I'm just g-gonna go. Sorry, so, so, sorry about t-the thing." With that, Finn brushed past the other man, mumbled self-loathing curses to himself as he continued his run to work.

Finn rushed into _Kanata Cafe_ an hour and a half late, panting heavily and sweating. Rey didn't even look up as he entered; she merely tossed him his apron and said, "You're late. Again."

"Sorry." he mumbled, joining her behind the counter. "This morning's been one train wreck after another. First, my alarm doesn't go off, then my taxi gets stuck in rush hour, and then this little kid threw up on me so I had to go back-"

"Finn, I'm not the one you're gonna have to explain yourself too." Rey smirked, handing him a cup and an order. "Fix this one up, will you?"

"Has she said anything? Do you know how mad she is? Should I be worried?" Finn questioned, filling the order of a large Salted Caramel Mocha. Rey shrugged.

"You know how hard it is to read Maz sometimes." she told him, halting briefly when she remembered something. "On second thought, she _did_ do that left eye twitch thing when I told her that you were a no call no show."

"I'm dead." Finn groaned, popping the lid on the drink. He handed back to Rey, who smiled sheepishly down at the name scribbled on the cup with little hearts drawn around it.

"Jessika?" she called out to the small coffee shop. The petite Asian girl pushed her way through the line and took the drink from Rey with a small wink. Rey stared after her as she left with a smitten look. Finn smirked at her.

"Jessika Pava's been coming here a lot lately. You know why?" he teased, knowing that Rey had a huge crush on Pava even if she didn't want to admit it. Rey straitened herself and scratched at her hair, which was twisted into three vertical buns.

"Um, I don't know. Maybe she just really likes the Salted Caramel Mochas." she said nonchalantly, tossing her best friend another order. Finn snorted.

"Maybe she just really wants to salt _your_ caramel mocha." he snickered, ducking just in time as Rey chucked a cup at his head.

"Finn! Rey! If you break something, it is coming out of your paychecks." a tired voice warned from other side of the counter. The two baristas leaned over the counter to see their boss staring up at them in disapproval. Her small eyes were magnified by her large bifocals as she narrowed her gaze to Finn. "How nice of you to join us today."

"I'm sorry, Maz. This morning was a nightmare. This little kid threw up on me on my way here so I had to go home and change and then I ran into this guy on the street and made a fool of myself." he apologized. Maz's hard expression softened quickly. It was always hard for her to stay mad at her beloved employees. They were like children to her. Maz Kanata was known for taking kids with promise off the streets and giving them jobs and a place to stay. What she lacked in height and body mass, she made up in heart and wisdom.

"Just make sure to call next time something like this happens." she decided, heading back to her office in one of the backrooms. "For all I knew, you were dead in a ditch somewhere."

Rey and Finn chuckled at her, returning to their duties. "You know, if you just moved into one of Maz's rooms upstairs, like me, you wouldn't have crazy morning like this."

"I want to but I have to wait until the lease on my apartment is up." Finn explained, grimacing at the thought of his crappy apartment. There was no way his apartment building met health code standards, but it was the best he could afford at the time.

"Why don't you just move into my room until then? I hate knowing that you're living in that dump. That place is a fire hazard. I'm serious." she argued. Finn shook his head at his best friend's constant worrying.

"I'll think about it, Peanut." he told her to ease her mind. She grinned and punched his arm playfully.

"You better, Peanut." she replied, taking down the next costumer's order. For the next few hours, they went about their normal work day routine until it was time for their lunch break. Maz took over the orders as they sat at their favorite table by the window.

"So Maz is talking about hiring a full time musician to try to bring in more customers. Apparently live music is the new rage among the hipsters today. I think it could be cool as long as its acoustic stuff, you know? Like guitar and piano, nothing too obnoxious." Rey commented, sipping at her White Nut Cappuccino. The mention of guitars made Finn briefly think about the man from that morning. He stared out of the window, remembering the way his dark eyes sparkled when he laughed. Finn was brought back to earth by Rey's fingers snapping in front of his face. "Hello? Earth to Finn? Are you even listening to me?"

"Sorry, I was just thinking about this guy I ran into this morning. Literally." Finn mumbled, drinking tentatively at his German Chocolate Mocha. Rey wiggled her eyebrows and leaned forward in her chair.

"Was he cute? He had to be cute if you're still thinking about him. Did you get a name? A number?" she shot off, desperate for details. Finn never talked about his love life, mostly because he didn't have one.

"I was too busy physically assaulting him and making a fool out of myself." he reminisced bitterly, shaking his head at how utterly ridiculous he had acted. Rey frowned and patted his hand sympathetically.

"Oh, come on. It couldn't have been that bad." she tried to assure him.

"Rey. The words 'God, you're really good' came out of my mouth." he told her. Her eyes widened as she tried to contain her laugh for his sake. Finn sighed. "Its okay, you can laugh. It was embarrassing."

Rey exploded into a fit of giggles that drew the entire coffee shop's attention. Finn just sat back and let her have her moment. When she finally composed herself, she wiped tears from her eyes and sighed, "Oh, Finn, that's so bad."

"Yep, I'm aware." he agreed with a smile.

"So what did he look like?" she asked. Finn sighed and slid down in his chair.

"Rey, he was so hot. And not the normal, dime a dozen, kind of hot. He was a rugged, ruffled, Latino kind of hot." he told her. Rey's smile grew, loving the way Finn looked when he talked about this guy. "His hair looked like it was made from the finest silk in the world and washed in holy water. I'm not fucking kidding, Rey. I swear to God, I think his hair alone could cure cancer."

"Oh I believe you." she smiled, her eyes darting over Finn's shoulder to the door behind him as another customer came in. Her eyes stayed on this particular costumer as he made his way to the counter, carrying a guitar case by his side.

"And his eyes. God, he had these beautiful, dark, bedroom eyes." Finn continued as Rey squinted her eyes at the man at the counter, instantly recognizing his hair. "Rey? Rey, are you listening?"

"Yeah huh." she nodded, a giddy smile stretching across her lips. "Hey, Finn? Was this guy wearing a red and brown leather jacket?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Finn asked with wide eyes. Rey bit at her lip and pointed over his shoulder.

"Cause he's standing right behind you." she giggled. Finn looked horrified as he turned slowly in his seat to see the same man from that morning talking quietly with Maz. He slid even further down in his chair, hiding his face with his hand.

"Oh my God. Oh my God. This cannot be happening." he repeated over and over, wishing the earth would open up and swallow him to save him from this embarrassment. Rey, on the other hand, couldn't be more pleased.

"Damn, you were right, Finn. He _does_ have good hair."


	2. Chapter 2

"Finn. Come on. Stop being ridiculous." Rey giggled as her best friend continued to slide further and further down into his chair until he was nearly under the table.

"I can't let him see me." Finn hissed, trying not to draw attention to himself.

"Why?"

"Because it's embarrassing! That's why!"

"Finn, you're acting like an idiot. He probably wouldn't recognize you if he saw you again." She offered. Finn narrowed his eyes at her.

"I'm not taking that chance." He whispered. "Quick, do something distracting so I can slip upstairs and hide until he leaves."

"I don't think he's leaving anytime soon." Rey told him, watching as Maz handed the man a paper and pointed to their table. "In fact, I think he's coming over here."

"What? No. No. No. Please, God. Why me?" Finn mumbled as the man approached their table. Rey gave him a warm smile.

"Hi, Ms. Kanata said you guys could help me fill out this application." He said, a smile tugging at his lips when he saw Finn, who was trying to look as small as possible. "Hey, I know you. Remember? We met this morning!"

"Uh no. I, uh, I don't think so." Finn stammered.

"Yes, you did." Rey interjected. If looks could kill, Rey would have been dead ten times over.

The man smiled, extending his hand to the flustered barista. "I'm Poe. Poe Dameron."

"Finn." He replied, tentatively shaking the man's hand. _Poe._ The name fit him. It rolled of the tongue smoothly and just sounded right. Rey cleared her throat and took Poe's hand.

"I'm Rey. It's good to meet you, Poe." She smiled charmingly. "How can we help you?"

"Well, I'm new to town and I saw an ad saying that this cafe was looking for someone to play music." He explained, patting his guitar case with a smile. "Figured I'd come down and give it a shot."

"Are you any good?" Rey teased. Poe chuckled lightly, biting softly at his bottom lip.

"I like to this so." He glanced back over to Finn, his smile shining brighter. He shook the application in his hand and shrugged, "Would you guys mind helping me fill this out?"

Before Finn could even speak up, Rey jumped out of her chair, grabbed a hold of Poe's shoulders, and guided him into her empty chair. "I, actually, have to get back to work but Finn would be more than happy to help you out."

"But, Rey, I should probably get back to work, too. The afternoon rush is about to hit." Finn called out, his face growing hotter by the second. He couldn't believe his friend was doing this to him. Rey just waved him off with a knowing smirk.

"Nah, that's fine. Maz and I can handle it. You two take your time." She smiled devilishly. "Poe, can I get you something to drink? It's on the house."

"No, I'm fine. Thanks." Poe nodded, stripping off his jacket. He laid it over the back of his chair, running a hand through his glorious hair. Finn gulped, trying so hard to not look at Poe's bulging biceps. His eyes caught a glimpse of something silver tucked under his white shirt. Poe fished it out, revealing worn and battered dog tags.

"Are you in the military?" Finn asked in a timid voice. Poe looked down at the tags with a small, sad, smile.

"Yeah. I was in the Air Force." He answered. Finn wanted to ask why he was no longer in the Air Force but he could tell by the sad look in his eyes and the tightness of his smile that it was probably a sore subject. So instead, he just cleared his throat and pointed to to application in Poe's hand.

"So, um, do you have any questions about that?"

"A few. It says here that Ms. Kanata-"

"Maz. She feels old when people call her Ms. Kanata." Finn grinned, risking a glance over his shoulder. Rey and Maz were busy with customers but they were obviously trying to eavesdrop. Poe chuckled lightly.

"Alright then. It says that Maz provides boarding for her employees. How much is rent?"

"It's free. Maz doesn't charge rent as long as you're an employee. Even if you didn't get the job, you could still rent from her at a low price." Finn explained. Poe let out a sigh of relief.

"That's great. Right now I'm living in this crappy motel that was probably once a crime scene." He joked. Finn couldn't help the butterflies that sprang to life in his stomach. "Do you know if she allows pets? I've got this corgi puppy. He's really well behaved and I've already got him potty trained."

"Maz doesn't mind pets as long as they don't cause any issues." Finn assured him. Poe looked relieved.

"Well, I guess I only have one more question."

"What's that?" Finn asked, taking a drink. Poe folded his arms on top of the table, his eyes smoldering as he grinned.

"Are you single?" Finn choked on his drink, spewing hot coffee all across the table. Poe's eyes widened in concern, "Are you okay, buddy?"

"Yeah. Yep. I'm good. I just need to, um-" Finn stuttered, turning in his seat to look back at Rey. She and Maz were watching the entire scene with horrified expressions. With pleading eyes and a burning face, Finn mouthed _HELP ME!_ Rey ran to his rescue.

"Sorry Poe, I need to steal Finn from you. We're getting slammed and we need all hands on deck." she told him with a fake apologetic smile.

"That's fine. I'll just fill this out and come back tomorrow." He told them, standing up and shrugging on his jacket.

"We'll be here." Rey assured him as his picked up his guitar. Poe shook her hand.

"It's was nice to meet you, Rey." he said, shooting a panty-dropping smile to Finn. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Um, y-yes. You will." Finn stammered, unable to catch his breath. Poe just smiled and headed for the door, waving goodbye to Maz as he left. Finn was frozen, horrified by what just happened.

"Oh sweet, innocent Finn. That was hard to watch." Rey mused, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"I spewed hot coffee all over him."

"I know. I saw. We all saw." Rey giggled. She sighed heavily and interlocked their arms. "Come on, Peanut. We have to get back to work."

"I want to die."

"You can die after your shift's over."


	3. Chapter 3

"How do I look?"

"Fine."

"What do you mean fine? Is that a good fine or a bad fine?"

"Its just a regular fine!"

"What about my clothes?"

"Your clothes look good, too."

"Are you sure? Because sometimes I feel like this color makes me look like an eggplant." Rey was about to slaughter her best friend. He had been like this for nearly thirty minutes and it was quickly getting worse. Poe was going to show up any minute for his audition and Finn was determined to not make a fool out of himself this time.

"I think you look good in purple." Rey told him, resisting the urge to shove a rag in his mouth. She quickly cut him off before he could ask another question. "Finn, I love you, but if you don't stop with the Twenty Questions, I swear to the powers that be, I'm gonna punch you in the throat."

Finn took a precautionary step back and muttered an apology. "Sorry. I'm just so nervous. Its just that every time I've seen him, I've assaulted him in some way. I really don't want to screw this up."

"You'll be fine." she assured him, patting him on the shoulder. "I could tell yesterday that he was totally into you."

"Who's totally into Finn?" Maz asked as she came out of her office. The three of them were alone in the building, having closed early for the auditions. About ten musicians had applied in total, much more than they were expecting.

"Nobody." Finn answered as Rey said, "Poe Dameron."

Finn narrowed his eyes dangerously at his best friend, embarrassed that Maz now knew about his humiliating love life. The old woman just nodded, "Ah, the young man from yesterday. He was quite handsome. You might have to fight me for that one, Finn."

"Maz, are you telling us that you're a cougar?" Rey giggled as Finn's cheeks burned like fire. Maz gave them a suggestive wink.

"I'm just teasing, darlings. I'm much too old for him." she wagged a finger at them. "Although, back when I was in my prime, I had my fair share of lovers. Hell, I still do!"

"La-la-la-la-la! I don't want to hear this!" Finn sang, quickly covering his ears. Maz rolled her eyes and waved him off.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic, Finn. I listen to you and Rey talk about your love lives all the time."

"That's different!"

"Why?"

"Because you're like our mom! We don't want to hear about our mom's sexual activity!" he argued, feeling grossed out just thinking about it.

"Speak for yourself! Personally, I would love to hear about Maz's old flames." Rey announced, leaning closer to her boss as she asked, "So, what's your type?"

"Big, tall, and hairy." Maz smirked. Rey's eyes widened.

"Really? I didn't take you for the lumberjack type." Maz patted her hand.

"Oh, my dear child, there are many things about me that would surprise you." she was cut off by the sound of the bell on the door ringing, telling them that someone had just come in.

"Oh thank God." Finn breathed a sigh of relief, grateful to be spared from this conversation. His relief, however was short lived when he saw that it was Poe who had come in. The man looked just as gorgeous as he did the day before. He was dressed in a pair of worn jeans, combat boots, his leather jacket, and a navy blue shirt that clung to his torso in all the right ways. He ran a hand through his perfect hair and shot Finn a heart-stopping smile. With the breath knocked out of him, the weak-kneed barista muttered, "Oh fuck me."

"You wish." Rey whispered, brushing past him to shake Poe's hand. "Its good to see you again, Poe."

"Same." he smiled, nodding her starstruck friend. "Finn."

"Poe." Finn swallowed, his heart beating like a war drum. The room began uncomfortably silent and the two men continued to stare at each other.

"Well," Maz cleared her throat, easing the tension. "lets get to it, shall we?"

"Yes. Of course." Poe agreed, shaking himself out of his daze. He followed Maz to the corner of the building where they had set up a simple stage that was just big enough for a chair and a couple of amps. He retrieved his guitar from its case and took a seat, his fingers gently running across the strings as he checked the tuning. He gaze a satisfied nod and looked up expectantly.

"Just start whenever you're ready." Maz told him as she, Rey, and Finn, took a seat at the table across from him.

"Alright." he nodded, adjusting the microphone in front of him. "I'm going to sing a cover of the song Home." His audience of three, waited with held breaths as he took a breath and began playing slowly and gently. His voice was soft and rich as he sang.

 _"Hold on, to me as we go_

 _As we roll down this unfamiliar road_

 _And although this wave is stringing us along_

 _Just know you're not alone_

 _'Cause I'm gonna make this place your home."_

Maz, Rey, and Finn shared looks of amazement as he steadily picked up the pace, his voice becoming stronger and more confident.

 _"Settle down, it'll all be clear_

 _Don't pay no mind to the demons_

 _They fill you with fear_

 _Oh, trouble it might drag you down_

 _If you get lost, you can always be found_

 _Just know you're not alone_

 _'Cause I'm gonna make this place your home."_

Finn grabbed Rey's arm excitedly as he sped up, his voice enchanting. She squeezed his hand as if to say _I know_!

 _"Settle down, it'll all be clear_

 _Don't pay no mind to the demons_

 _They fill you with fear_

 _Oh, trouble it might drag you down_

 _If you get lost, you can always be found_

 _Just know you're not alone_

 _'Cause I'm gonna make this place your home."_

Maz, Finn, and Rey slowly released their breaths as the song began to wind down.

 _"Oh, trouble it might drag you down_

 _If you get lost, you can always be found_

 _Just know you're not alone_

 _'Cause I'm gonna make this place your home."_

The song ended with a final chord, leaving his audience in a stunned silence. Poe sheepishly smiled. "So, how'd I do?"

Right at that moment, the door jingled open and a lanky boy with bleach blonde hair and a guitar case walked in. "I'm here for the audition."

"I'm sorry," Maz told him, smiling back up Poe. "but I'm afraid the position has already been filled." The boy stomped out, grumbling under his breath. Maz rose to her feet and shook Poe's hand. "Welcome to the family, Poe."

"You know what this means, right?" Rey whispered to Finn with a small smile.

"What?" he asked in a hushed tone.

"We're gonna be seeing him everyday for hours on end." she giggled, enjoying her best friend's discomfort. Finn paled and slumped in his seat.

"I'm majorly fucked."


End file.
